Grilled Tofu for Sarah

[Guest guest]

Sarah:

 

The following are all from Deborah Madison's new cookbook, " This Can't Be

Tofu! " .

 

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Grilled Tofu

 

Recipe By :This Can't Be Tofu!, Deborah Madison

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Simple, Basic Tofu

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 carton tofu, firm -- or extra-firm, drained

3/4 cup of any of the following:

soy sauce or tamari, teriyaki sauce, steak

sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue

sauce or Korean barbecue sauce

salt & freshly ground pepper

 

Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch slabs. Brush it with any of the sauces and season

with salt & pepper.

 

Preheat the grill. Make sure the grill rack is clean and oiled. You can add

wood chips or rosemary twigs to the flames for their fragrant smoke.

 

Cook the tofu until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Turn 45 degrees for

cross-hatched lines, if desired, then turn and cook on the second side as well.

Brush with additional sauce as it cooks. Just take care not to overcook it;

tofu can dry out. Serve with accompaniments such as sambals, chutneys, or

salsas.

 

Note: For onion rings, slice a large peeled red or yellow onion into 1/2-inch

rounds. Brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Secure the rings

on a couple of toothpicks so they won't fall apart. Grill on both sides until

lightly marked and slightly softened.

 

S(ISBN):

" 0-7679-0419-2 "

 

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Per serving: 16 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (47% calories from fat); 2g

Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 2mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0

Other Carbohydrates

 

NOTES : Author's Note: After much experience, I'm convinced that all the

marinating in the world doesn't do as much for tofu as we'd like it to. The

marinade doesn't really penetrate or transform the tofu. What you might do,

however, to give the tofu some luster and a bit of flavor on the surface, is

simply brush it with any of the sauces mentioned or some similar sauce. While

you're at it, grill some onion rings as well. Regardless of the sauce you use,

they'll be great on top or alongside.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0

 

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Grilled, Braised, or Broiled Tofu with Tamarind Barbecue Sauce

 

Recipe By :This Can't Be Tofu!, Deborah Madison

Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Simple, Basic Tofu

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

1 carton tofu, firm -- or extra-firm, drained

1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil -- (to 2 tbsp)

TAMARIND BARBECUE SAUCE:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar -- (strong)

1/2 cup water or vegetable stock

1/2 cup diced fresh tomatoes -- or canned diced tomatoes in

puree

1 teaspoon hot mustard

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

1 tablespoon roasted peanut oil

freshly ground black pepper

 

Cut the tofu crosswise or lengthwise into slabs of about 1/2-inch thick or a bit

less. Set on paper toweling while you mix together the ingredients for the

sauce.

 

Heat a nonstick skillet or cast iron skillet and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable

oil. When hot, add the tofu and fry until golden. Turn, adding more oil to the

pan if needed, and fry on the second side. Turn off the heat.

 

Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir to

dissolve the tamarind paste. Boil until thickened and the surface is covered

with bubbles, 4-5 minutes.

 

TO GRILL: Brush the tofu with the marinade. Make a fire or preheat the grill,

making sure that the grill rack is very clean. Brush or spray it with oil.

Place the tofu on the grill and cook without turning until browned, about 5

minutes, depending on the heat of the fire (you may have to pick up a corner and

check). Turn the tofu 45 degrees and cook a few minutes more to get a nice set

of grill marks. As the tofu cooks, continue to brush the sauce over it to keep

it moist. Heat any extra marinade and serve it on the side.

 

TO BROIL: Preheat the broiler and brush the fried tofu very generously with the

sauce. You won't need to use it all. Broil about 5 inches from the heat. When

bubbly and reduced, turn the tofu, brush it again with sauce, and broil the

second side. Heat the extra sauce and serve it with the tofu and/or an

accompaniment.

 

TO BRAISE: Once the tofu is golden, add half the marinade and let it cook over

medium-high heat, sloshing it over the tofu, until well reduced and the tofu is

burnished but not dry, about 4-5 minutes.

 

S(ISBN):

" 0-7679-0419-2 "

 

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Per serving: 142 Calories (kcal); 8g Total Fat; (49% calories from fat); 3g

Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 10mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat;

1 Other Carbohydrates

 

NOTES : Regardless of which cooking method you choose, you'll have the best

results if you fry the tofu first -- it will have a better texture, appearance,

and flavor. Extra-firm tofu can withstand the slightly tougher handling on the

grill, but the firm tofu will work too. Since there's likely to be extra sauce,

you can double the amount of tofu.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 1563 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1477 1074 0

 

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Techniques For Using Tofu

 

Recipe By :This Can't be Tofu! by Deborah Madison, page 7

Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Techniques for Using Tofu

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

***** NONE *****

 

Draining:

Draining simply means pouring off the water that the tofu is packaged

in. Pressing refers to wrapping it in cloth or paper towels or letting it

sit on toweling to force out the excess water within. The reasons for

pressing the water out of tofu are:

 

1. To make room for other liquids and seasonings to be absorbed, such as

marinades and spice rubs

 

2. To prevent excess spattering when deep-frying tofu

 

3. To prevent diluting sauces and dressings

 

However, you don't have to fret about this, nor do you have to do it every

time. Generally, I find that tofu can simply sit on some toweling while

I'm assembling other ingredients, and that's plenty of time to remove

excess water. For tofu that's to be deep-fried, you have to do a serious

pressing or the water will spurt dangerously in the oil. If you're not

deep-frying tofu, look to the simpler methods that follow.

 

Serious Pressing:

Wrap an entire piece of drained tofu in an absorbent dish towel. Set the

tofu on a cutting board and weight it down with something heavy, like a

large can of tomatoes. Rest one end of the board on a plate or something

else so that the board with the weighted tofu is tilted toward the

sink. The excess water will drain off and flow into the sink. Leave for

20 to 30 minutes.

 

Towel Drying:

This method is especially good for sliced tofu that's going to be

shallow-fried. Use a cloth dish towel or several layers of paper

towels. Lay the sliced tofu on the toweling, cover it with a second layer,

and press gently to wick off the excess moisture. Leave, it like this

while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

 

Pan Drying:

This process both dries and firms the to tofu so that it won't fall apart

in a stir-fry. Slice or cube the tofu without pressing or towel drying

first, then put it in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, adding a

little oil if you wish. The water in the tofu will evaporate and

eventually it will brown slightly, even if you haven't added any oil to the

pan. This will both dry and firm the tofu.

 

Oven Drying:

Place sliced or cubed tofu in a very lightly oiled pie plate and cook at

375F until all the water has evaporated and the tofu has a nice, slightly

firm feel to it when pressed with your finger. This will take so to 25

minutes at 375F. After 10 to 12 minutes, the tofu will have released a lot

of water. Carefully pour it off, then return the tofu to the oven to

finish drying.

 

The Myth of Marinating

 

Along with the notion that tofu will become whatever you wish by virtue of

its seasonings comes the idea of the marinade, the liquid means of

transformation. I have always felt that marinades are terribly overrated,

and that they don't really accomplish much except to flavor the very

outside of the tofu itself. When I was the chef at Greens restaurant, we

used to keep blocks of firm Chinese tofu submerged for days in an extremely

strong marinade of red wine, mustard, dried mushrooms, soy sauce, and other

ingredients, but it never did much more than affect the appearance and

taste of the tofu's outermost surfaces. When we cut into it, it was pure

white, the marinade clearly never having penetrated the tofu.

 

A more effective use for a marinade is as a cooking liquid. Pour it over

the tofu as it cooks and the marinade will reduce and cave a lustrous,

flavorful sheen. I think you'll be very happy with the results. Here's

the basic method:

 

1. Drain, then slice or cube the tofu. No need to use the serious

pressing method, just blot dry the tofu to remove some of the

water. Assemble your marinade ingredients. Many marinade recipes are

similar to each other, consisting of garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce,

sugar, and maybe some molasses or dark vinegar. The sugar or molasses give

the tofu its glossy sheen.

 

2. Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet. Spray the skillet with

peanut oil from your own mister, or a spray such as Oriental Mist, add the

tofu and sear until golden on both sides. Even if you don't use any oil,

the tofu will color, but it's best if it colors a lot and for that you need

some oil. If you use enough oil to shallow-fry, the tofu will also get a

crisp, golden crust.

 

3. When the tofu is nicely colored, pour the marinade over the tofu and

continue cooking until it has reduced to a glaze. As the marinade cooks

down, the sugars caramelize, leaving behind some very delectable tofu. You

can simply serve the tofu as is, or garnish it with toasted sesame seeds

and slivered scallions. You can also slice the tofu and add it to a noodle

or rice salad or a stir-fry.

 

Silken and Soft Regular Tofu:

These techniques, which can he used with all grades of silken tofu as well

as soft regular tofu, firms the texture, which keeps it from falling apart

when cooked. The cooking and the salt also round out the flavor. I

routinely use this technique with silken tofu that I'm going to cook

further, and when I use tofu in salads.

 

Simmering:

Bring 6 cups water in a wide skillet to the boil. Add teaspoon sea salt,

then lower the beat so that the water is barely simmering. Add the

tofu. Simmer small cubes for 1 to 2 minutes; larger cubes for 4 to 5

minutes. Gently remove the tofu with a strainer and set it on a towel to

drain for several minutes. Once dried, this tofu will be fine for gentle

frying.

 

Steeping:

Bring 6 cups water in a wide skillet to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt, then

turn off the heat. Add the tofu and let it steep for 3 to 5

minutes. Remove with a flat strainer. If you wish to cool the tofu, lower

the strainer into a bowl of cold water, then turn the tofu onto a towel

until needed.

 

 

 

 

 

FROZEN TOFU (page 3):

It's a common practice to freeze slabs of firm, Chinese-style tofu in order to

alter its texture so that it resembles ground meat. The water in it expands as

it freezes, filling the tofu with pores and pockets of air that give it a

crumbly, fluffy texture when thawed. (You can quickly defrost tofu in warm

water, then squeeze out the excess moisture.) But you don't have to crumble

tofu just because it's been frozen. You can defrost it and cut it into slabs,

then marinate or cook it in a saucy dish. The additional pores that it's gained

in the freezer are great at pulling in a marinade or highly seasoned sauce.

As many times as I've cooked with frozen tofu, I've never foun!

d the results texturally appealing; in fact, quite the opposite. And certainly

I've never been as happy with the results as when I use fresh tofu. On the

whole, if you want a crumbly hamburger-like texture, you're better off starting

with a fresh block of firm or extra-firm tofu packed in water, breaking it up

with your hands, then drying it out in a skillet with a little oil, salt, and

pepper. You'll end up with both a texture and a taste that are more appealing.

 

 

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Per serving: 0 Calories (kcal); 0g Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 0g

Protein; 0g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 0mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0

Other Carbohydrates

 

 

Nutr. Assoc. : 0